Solar Photovoltaic Systems
For quiet and clean electricity generation with a modular approach, Solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems are hard to beat.
The versatility of solar PV lends its technology for any electrical generation purpose you may need from small vehicle mounted battery charging systems to multi kilowatt grid connected generation installations.
Every day, when it is light, a PV system will generate electricity. It does not have to be full sunlight, but maximum output will be achieved in full sun. Dull cloudy days will probably produce around 15% of the rated full output. In the South West, output from a Solar PV system will be around 20% higher than from a same sized system in the north of England.
Solar PV systems, once installed, are quiet, need no maintenence and have an easily expected life of 20 - 25 years and beyond. There are PV systems built in the 1960's that are still operating now!
As a guide price, our 1kWp and higher systems generally cost £5 a watt installed. (ie 1kwp = £5000) See the economics page for more information
We can supply either component parts for you to assemble your own system, or we will provide a free quotation and system design service. For mains grid connected systems it is required that a qualified engineer carries out the final commisioning, as the system has to comply with wiring standards and G83. For stand alone systems basic electical knowledge is required. We are available for both as an after sales service. Email support is free, call us for a quote for site visits.
Grid Connected
If you already have a mains 230v electricity connection, the best option is to have a Solar PV installation Grid Connected. This method has a number of advantages, any electricity generated that you do not use is sold back to the electricity company. Obviously this only occurs during the day, but does mean you can have electricity during the night back from the electricity company while the PV array is not generating. This is best thought of as using the grid as your battery.
A 3 bedroom house will typically use around 3500Kwh a year. Fitting a 1Kwp PV system will typically generate 750Kwh a year. A 1Kwp system will take up 8m2 of roof area. Ideally for optimum results, a South facing unshaded roof is needed for suitable PV installations, but any clear view of the sky between South East and South West will give good resilts.
All grid connected systems in the UK need a G83 compliant inverter to convert the DC voltage from the PV array into 230v AC that is then carefully synchronised to the local mains supply. We use the tried and tested Austrian Froenius Inverters which are rugged enough to continue in service for the 20 years of the PV array.